For all its wonderful, useful, business-generating, network-creating potential, Social Media has also become a pitfall - a dangerous place where one can be swept away into an online world thereby excluding those in the offline realm.
This past Sunday was the Super Bowl... The yearly culmination of another NFL season where unfortunately the game itself has become an afterthought. I watched the first half of the game at my in-law's house. Present, along with my in-laws, were my wife and kids, my wife's aunt and my wife's brother and kids.
During my time there I essentially was online via my mobile, engaging in Twitter-speak with a whole host of folks all at the ready to discuss, in real time of course, the commercials and/or the game itself.
I was online at the expense of those around me... I was online socializing instead of being sociable off it. As is usually the case I needed reminding of what my priorities should be and thankfully I have my wife to not-so-gently remind me that I was doing something wrong... Ok, maybe not wrong, but it sure wasn't right, either... she also reminded me that it was I who recently wrote of a fear I have of society becoming less sociable!
I even titled this post in question "My lone prediction for 2011 (and it scares the hell out of me)"!!
Read it for yourself and you'll see why I was a complete and utter hypocrite.
Truth be told, my wife is a huge fan of Twitter and sees the value therein... she was merely pointing out the irony that here was someone who had an out and out fear of people becoming less sociable essentially doing just that!
So, as any good husband, I am going to listen to my wife (at least try to) and become more sociable and less Social Media... especially when given the opportunity to do so.